The long road back for Cole Harbour fighter T.J. Grant

Cole Harbour’s T.J. Grant, who is currently sidelined with post-concussion syndrome, speaks with reporters during a news conference at the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame on Tuesday. Halifax will host UFC Fight Night 54 at the Metro Centre on Oct. 4. (RYAN TAPLIN / Staff)

It’s easy to forget where T.J. Grant stood in the world of mixed martial arts only 15 months ago.

Last May 25, at UFC 160 in Las Vegas, Grant went into the octagon against Gray Maynard in a lightweight clash with title implications.

Cole Harbour’s Grant entered on a four-fight winning streak in the UFC after stripping off 15 pounds to fight as a lightweight instead of a welterweight.

Maynard was called The Bully, but Grant was the bad boy that night. He tore Maynard apart in two minutes and seven seconds, signalling he was ready for his title shot.

The UFC granted his wish, slotting him in to fight champion Benson Henderson at UFC 164 in Milwaukee last August.

Grant, now 30, never got there. A concussion in jiu-jitsu training left him with a concussion and neck injuries.

He hasn’t taken contact since.

So there sat Grant (21-5 overall and 8-3 in the UFC) in Halifax earlier this week, watching other fighters take centre stage to

It should have been Grant’s show, but there is only the tiniest chance he could be a late addition to the lineup. Nobody really expects it to happen.

He hasn’t had much to say in the last year, mostly because there hasn’t been much to say. Like every athlete going through Grant’s torment, the concussion holds all the cards.

“I’m feeling pretty good,” he says. “I’m as close to 100 per cent as I’ve felt throughout this whole thing. I’m training at high intensity.

“I’m doing everything pretty much without sparring and just avoiding wrestling because it’s unpredictable. I just want to make sure I’m 100 per cent and I’ve still got a little ways to go and I’m almost there.”

The question everybody asks — and Grant has plenty of fans — is when. It’s probably the most painful question for Grant to try to answer.

“I’m optimistic I can get over this last little hump,” he says. “There is technical stuff ... and I don’t know a lot of the answers to tell you the truth. But I’m close.

“I feel like I’m not jeopardizing my health or anything like that and that was my biggest concern with this type of injury. I’m excited to get back there and fight, but I don’t know when that is going to be, but I know I’m in great shape and when I get cleared I’m ready to do it.”

The UFC is an impatient master and everyone who earns a cheque there understands that.

Inactivity kills and Grant, who had to pass on a second title chance last December, was punted from the top end of the lightweight hierarchy late last year.

He’ll need to fight his way back into contention. Not much will be conceded just because he was a winner before.

When you pay the rent with your fists and your feet it’s hard to be patient.

“It’s been frustrating,” he says. “I see a lot of opportunities beyond my control. I just try to shut that off and focus on being positive.

“I find keeping a good attitude throughout this whole thing has really helped me to get better. And my goal right now is to get better and get back to fighting. I love to do it and it’s what I’m going to do.”

He said if he got cleared in the next month he’d consider making a call to the UFC for the Oct. 4 card, “but this has been very unpredictable and I’m not going to rush it.”

Earlier this summer, Sidney Crosby, another Cole Harbour product with a concussion history, reached out to Grant.

He told Grant about his situation and passed on some information. He told Grant about the Carrick Brain Centre in Atlanta, where Grant will visit this weekend.

“It was a great thing for him to do and shows what kind of human being he is. It meant a lot.”

The gorilla is the room is a UFC fighter with a concussion history. Tough is tough, but Grant is a father and won’t always make a living by fighting.

He’s had some of those difficult conversations with himself over the last year.

“Once I’m 100 per cent I’m going to evaluate my situation again, but I’m confident I should be able to resume my career.”

Grant’s warrior heart is undamaged.

“This is what I do. When I fight I want to do battle. I’ve just got to get healthy.”